The Happiness He Seeks
Lorne had insisted that they have Christmas together. Wesley was worried because of what had happened on Halloween, but Lorne assured them that he had been sleeping every night. Fred thought that it was a wonderful idea, considering the mess that last year had prevented a proper Christmas celebration. She even mentioned that she might invite her parents. Angel grumpily agreed, and then told Harmony to fill up his glass of blood.
After they had retreated back to their offices, Wesley cracked open the Shanshu prophecy again. He'd been working on a new translation since the Great Mountain Dew Fight.
"Always working," Spike said and collapsed down on a chair.
"Some of us have a job." Wesley kept reading.
"Come on." Spike placed his legs on Wesley's desk. "Tomorrow is the Christmas Eve party. Presents?"
"Spike," Wesley sighed, "I'm busy. Could you please leave?"
"No shopping." Spike pouted.
"Why don't you take one of Angel's cars?"
"Encouraging me to be bad?" He leaned over the desk and kissed Wesley.
"Always." Wesley smiled and closed the book.
After Wesley had shot his father for Fred, and Fred had turned him down for Knox, Wesley had made a trip to England to visit his parents. When he came back and learned of the false prophecy, he spent most of his hours doing research. Angel sent him memos to go home, sleep, and eat. Harmony had even tried to feed him otters' blood as she thought he looked a little pale. Much to his dismay, while he had been gone Spike had somewhat taken over his office space. At first, Wesley was annoyed at Spike. But after spending too much time and energy trying to extract Spike, he gave up.
When the memos stopped coming from Angel and his secretary left him alone, Spike started doing to oddest things. He would make snarky remarks and continue his daily annoyances, but Wesley would still find sandwiches or take-out Chinese waiting for him on his desk. Wesley figured that it was his secretary planting them while he was in the archives. Until one day he saw Spike setting down a wheat grass smoothie.
Then Spike moved a television into the office. When Wesley protested, "Porn," Spike answered. He flopped down on the couch. "Gotta use my now corporeal dick." He turned on the television. "I don't see you getting any." After that, Spike spent most of his days watching [I Love the 70s] and yelling at the bad stereotypes of vampires that appeared on FX movie nights. Wesley often ended up crashing on a late Friday night and staring at the TV for several hours. Spike and he started bonding over movies as Spike introduced Wesley to the ancient mystery of buffalo wings.
"You can have him," Harmony told him one day, a phone under her ear.
Wesley paused and gave her a confused look.
"Spike." Harmony set down the phone. "Oh please, you can't fool me. I see how you two look at each other. I... relinquish him."
"Harmony," Wesley said, "I think you are mistaking simple male bonding for something else..."
"Male bonding?" Harmony interrupted him with a laugh. "If male bonding includes waiting on me hand and foot and bringing me food, then sign me up." She smiled. "Trust me, Lorne and I both agree that there's something between you two."
Wesley had taken the rest of the day off after that. He sat in his apartment pondering. He tried to read a book, then picked up the phone. Spike came right over.
"Angel's car?" Wesley smiled as he opened the door.
"Yeah." Spike stood outside the door. "Going to invite me in?"
"Oh, yes." Wesley blushed as in his nervousness he had forgotten that Spike was a vampire and thus subject to the laws of vampirism. "Come in."
"So what's going on?" Spike sat down on Wesley's couch. "Angel came by looking for you. Brooded, then left. I think that guy's getting worse with the holiday season. Compensating for the Streisand Christmas selection Lorne keeps playing around the office."
Wesley chuckled and joined Spike on the couch. "The reason I called... The reason I left..." He took a deep breath, and started again, "Harmony... No this isn't working. This," Wesley leaned over and kissed Spike on his lips, "is the best expression I can think of."
"Are we going or not?" Spike demanded.
"Huh?" Wesley looked up. "Sorry."
"Daydreaming again or translating that damn prophecy." Despite the disappointment in Spike's voice, he smiled. "I told you that the Shanshu wasn't important anymore. Whatever fight over who's got the biggest stones between Angel and I is done and over with. As much as I would enjoy being human with you, I realize that Angel is fighting to be good, to do good. And I'm content being with you."
"Let's go." Wesley stood up and grabbed his leather coat. He held his lover's hand. "The Viper?"
"I was thinking the Humvee - a good fit for all those presents."
The mall was bustling with shoppers and Christmas carols. Tinsel hung from every corner, and mothers dragged their children away from huge displays of toys. They could see a line of children and their parents in front of huge Santa display in the middle of the mall. There were college-aged people dressed as elves, who looked less than thrilled with their clientele.
"I'm thinking of getting Angel something for his office," Spike said. He pulled Wesley into the nearest department store. "Or perhaps a shirt. He's been wearing bad 70s rejects for too long. In fact, he probably had them then."
"And you're one to talk?" Wesley laughed and gestured at Spike's attire. "You're wardrobe doesn't vary much."
"You don't seem to mind. Plus black is always in season." Spike pulled him in for a kiss.
Before their kiss had ended, they were interrupted by a preteen boy. "Look mom," he yelled, pointing at Spike and Wesley. "Those two men are kissing. Yuck. What a bunch of homos."
"Jason," his mother said, holding onto several shopping bags.
Wesley and Spike turned to look at Jason and his mother. "Ma'am," Wesley said, "I suggest that you teach your son that words like that are discriminatory."
"Well I would suggest that you and your boyfriend take you public displays of affection somewhere else." The mother tugged on Jason's shirt so he didn't run away. "It's not right. Keep it behind closed doors or go back to England."
Spike shook his head at the woman. He was doing everything he could; trying not to vamp out and make the lady wet her knickers. Right now, he felt that way. He looked at Wesley - his love - who stood there in shock that this woman would have been so audacious. Even Angel, who personally hated him, never let his comments fly to the par of this woman and her brat son.
Jason stood triumphantly next to his mother with a mischievous smile creeping on his face like a hunter who had just found his prey. He played with the snow globes, the only snow L.A. children were ever exposed to. "Stop that!" his mother said, swatting his hand.
Jason picked up a snow globe and ran. "Fine," he said. "I'll put it down." And he tossed the globe the direction of Spike and Wesley.
Spike's vampire reflexes caught the globe. "Brat," Spike growled and turned toward Jason.
Wesley moved between Spike and Jason. Granted, the boy had crossed over the line; but a vampire's wrath could get out of hand. "Look," Wesley removed the globe from Spike's hand, "don't you think Fred would enjoy this?"
Spike glared at the boy with his vamp face present.
Jason smiled and revealed his long teeth and a glimpse of a reddish skin below. "Those who hold will behold," Jason said with a giggle.
A swirl of energy formed above Wesley and Spike, covering their bodies with a white mist. They were in the snow, and there was a dance hall near them. "Where are we?" Spike asked, brushing flakes out of his hair.
"I'm not sure," Wesley responded as Fred Astaire's "Cheek to Cheek" started playing on the stereo. "Somehow I have the urge to dance, though. Shall we Spike?"
"What the bloody fuck is wrong with you?!" Spike stared at Wesley. "We need to figure out where we are, and how to get back to that mall. Also, how I'm going to kill that kid, and what I'm going to buy Gunn."
"Please," Wesley offered his hand.
Spike rolled his eyes. "Fine," he grumbled and started dancing with Wesley. "Didn't they play this song during [The English Patient]?"
"Did Lorne make you watch it again?"
"Yeah." Spike sighed. "And he got all weepy. But I got to do something when you're sleeping." He nuzzled closer to Wesley. "So what's this place?"
"Probably something to do with the boy," Wesley answered. "I'll never understand why people don't teach their children better manners."
"Wait." Spike lifted his hand in the air. "This isn't snow?" He took a floating piece from the air and touched it to the tip of his tongue. "Tastes like plastic. Like packing materials."
"Don't tell me," Wesley said as Spike spun him around.
"Yep, we're stuck in the globe. Can't two blokes go shopping together and not have some demon kid pull a spell?"
[I'm in Heaven,/And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak;/And I seem to find the happiness I seek/When we're out together dancing cheek to cheek.]
"The song's ending." Wesley smiled assuredly. "Perhaps, the spell will go away."
"Or Astaire will just start up again." Spike pointed toward the sky. "Isn't that the little monster now?"
"Those who hold will behold," Wesley whispered under his breath deep in thought. Spike and he continued dancing as the song started again. "That's it."
"What?" Spike frowned at him.
"Kiss me," Wesley said. Spike's lips met his. They were putting on a show. A show for the peeping demon child. "Take off your shirt," he commanded.
"Well, I don't need to be asked twice." Spike removed the black t-shirt. Wesley began to kiss Spike's neck.
"Gross." They heard from a muffled voice above. The globe started to shake, and Jason dropped it to the floor sending bits of glitter, plastic, glass, and a flood of water shooting out in all directions. Spike and Wesley stood in the middle of the mess, and Spike quickly put back on his shirt.
"Oh my god," Jason's mother said, running toward her child. "What did I tell you about messing with people's lives. They may be sinners, but this is no excuse." She grabbed him by the arm and headed toward the nearest exit.
"Thank god that's over with," Spike said. "I hope that kid gets in more trouble than Angel did with that necromancer."
"Not something that happens everyday. Though I don't suppose this is completely out of the ordinary in our line of work," Wesley said. "We should do that more often."
"What? Get stuck in snow globes by demon children?"
"No." Wesley placed his hand in Spike's dance. "Dance."
"Oh, I don't think so. Not unless a mosh pit is your kind of dancing," Spike recoiled. "So what are we going to get Angel?" They walked out of the department store. "I mean, what can you buy a vampire that has everything?"